Maternal mRNA input of growth and stress-response-related genes in cichlids in relation to egg size and trophic specialization

Ahi, Ehsan Pashay; Singh, Pooja; Lecaudey, Laurène Alicia; Gessl, Wolfgang; Sturmbauer, Christian

doi:10.1186/s13227-018-0112-3

Cited by 26 publications

(33 citation statements)

References 155 publications

(154 reference statements)

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“…The identification of reference genes with stable expression under the specific experimental conditions a precondition for the analysis of relative gene expression levels 30–32 . We tested the expression of 8 candidate reference genes in the dorsal and anal fin samples at the three regeneration stages.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene expression profiling suggests differences in molecular mechanisms of fin elongation between cichlid species

Ahi

Richter

Lecaudey

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Comparative analyses of gene regulation inform about the molecular basis of phenotypic trait evolution. Here, we address a fin shape phenotype that evolved multiple times independently across teleost fish, including several species within the family Cichlidae. In a previous study, we proposed a gene regulatory network (GRN) involved in the formation and regeneration of conspicuous filamentous elongations adorning the unpaired fins of the Neolamprologus brichardi . Here, we tested the members of this network in the blockhead cichlid, Steatocranus casuarius , which displays conspicuously elongated dorsal and moderately elongated anal fins. Our study provided evidence for differences in the anatomy of fin elongation and suggested gene regulatory divergence between the two cichlid species. Only a subset of the 20 genes tested in S. casuarius showed the qPCR expression patterns predicted from the GRN identified in N. brichardi , and several of the gene-by-gene expression correlations differed between the two cichlid species. In comparison to N. brichardi , gene expression patterns in S. casuarius were in better (but not full) agreement with gene regulatory interactions inferred in zebrafish. Within S. casuarius , the dorsoventral asymmetry in ornament expression was accompanied by differences in gene expression patterns, including potential regulatory differentiation, between the anal and dorsal fin.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene expression profiling suggests differences in molecular mechanisms of fin elongation between cichlid species

Ahi

Richter

Lecaudey

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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“…Such maternally driven differences in developmental trajectories can promote different trophic morphologies in offspring and contribute to the evolution of resource polymorphism. In Arctic charr, there is some evidence for maternally mediated differential expression of genes related to craniofacial development (Ahi et al ., ; Beck et al ., ). In brook charr ( Salvelinus fontinalis ), exposure of larger embryos to stressful environments resulted in greater plasticity and a wider developmental trajectory than in smaller embryos (Penney, Beirão, & Purchase, ).…”

Section: From the Inside Looking Out: Intrinsic Factors And Leveraginmentioning

confidence: 97%

A way forward with eco evo devo: an extended theory of resource polymorphism with postglacial fishes as model systems

et al. 2019

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A major goal of evolutionary science is to understand how biological diversity is generated and altered. Despite considerable advances, we still have limited insight into how phenotypic variation arises and is sorted by natural selection. Here we argue that an integrated view, which merges ecology, evolution and developmental biology (eco evo devo) on an equal footing, is needed to understand the multifaceted role of the environment in simultaneously determining the development of the phenotype and the nature of the selective environment, and how organisms in turn affect the environment through eco evo and eco devo feedbacks. To illustrate the usefulness of an integrated eco evo devo perspective, we connect it with the theory of resource polymorphism (i.e. the phenotypic and genetic diversification that occurs in response to variation in available resources). In so doing, we highlight fishes from recently glaciated freshwater systems as exceptionally well‐suited model systems for testing predictions of an eco evo devo framework in studies of diversification. Studies on these fishes show that intraspecific diversity can evolve rapidly, and that this process is jointly facilitated by (i) the availability of diverse environments promoting divergent natural selection; (ii) dynamic developmental processes sensitive to environmental and genetic signals; and (iii) eco evo and eco devo feedbacks influencing the selective and developmental environments of the phenotype. We highlight empirical examples and present a conceptual model for the generation of resource polymorphism – emphasizing eco evo devo, and identify current gaps in knowledge.

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“…We selected seven candidate reference genes with the highest expression levels in transcriptome data of the jaws from LT Haplochromine cichlids which also had shown no significant expression differences between the two jaw types and across species at stage 26 [16]. Furthermore, we added five more reference genes that were previously validated in qPCR based studies on African cichlids [19, 44–47, 71, 72]. As target candidates we selected seven genes, including bapx1 , foxq1b , wnt9b , fgf8a , lbh , prdm1a and satb2 , involved in modular morphogenesis of trophic skeletal system along the anterior-posterior axis in teleost fishes (described in the discussion section).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Divergence in larval jaw gene expression reflects differential trophic adaptation in haplochromine cichlids prior to foraging

et al. 2019

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Background Understanding how variation in gene expression contributes to morphological diversity is a major goal in evolutionary biology. Cichlid fishes from the East African Great lakes exhibit striking diversity in trophic adaptations predicated on the functional modularity of their two sets of jaws (oral and pharyngeal). However, the transcriptional basis of this modularity is not so well understood, as no studies thus far have directly compared the expression of genes in the oral and pharyngeal jaws. Nor is it well understood how gene expression may have contributed to the parallel evolution of trophic morphologies across the replicate cichlid adaptive radiations in Lake Tanganyika, Malawi and Victoria. Results We set out to investigate the role of gene expression divergence in cichlid fishes from these three lakes adapted to herbivorous and carnivorous trophic niches. We focused on the development stage prior to the onset of exogenous feeding that is critical for understanding patterns of gene expression after oral and pharyngeal jaw skeletogenesis, anticipating environmental cues. This framework permitted us for the first time to test for signatures of gene expression underlying jaw modularity in convergent eco-morphologies across three independent adaptive radiations. We validated a set of reference genes, with stable expression between the two jaw types and across species, which can be important for future studies of gene expression in cichlid jaws. Next we found evidence of modular and non-modular gene expression between the two jaws, across different trophic niches and lakes. For instance, prdm1a , a skeletogenic gene with modular anterior-posterior expression, displayed higher pharyngeal jaw expression and modular expression pattern only in carnivorous species. Furthermore, we found the expression of genes in cichlids jaws from the youngest Lake Victoria to exhibit low modularity compared to the older lakes. Conclusion Overall, our results provide cross-species transcriptional comparisons of modularly-regulated skeletogenic genes in the two jaw types, implicating expression differences which might contribute to the formation of divergent trophic morphologies at the stage of larval independence prior to foraging. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12862-019-1483-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Maternal mRNA input of growth and stress-response-related genes in cichlids in relation to egg size and trophic specialization

Cited by 26 publications

References 155 publications

Gene expression profiling suggests differences in molecular mechanisms of fin elongation between cichlid species

Gene expression profiling suggests differences in molecular mechanisms of fin elongation between cichlid species

A way forward with eco evo devo: an extended theory of resource polymorphism with postglacial fishes as model systems

Divergence in larval jaw gene expression reflects differential trophic adaptation in haplochromine cichlids prior to foraging

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